River West-Madera Master Plan APPENDICES Appendix A – River West-Madera Resource Assessment 39 | Page River West-Madera Master Plan River West- Madera Master Plan June 5, 2012 Resource Assessment The River West-Madera area consists of 795 acres of publicly owned land located in Madera County along the northern side of the San Joaquin River between Highway 41 and Scout Island. The Resource Assessment presents the area’s existing characteristics, as well as constraints and opportunities to future planning efforts. River West-Madera Master Plan River West-Madera Master Plan RESOURCE ASSESSMENT FIGURES ............................................................................................................................... 3 TABLES ................................................................................................................................. 4 EXISTING CHARACTERISITICS ............................................................................................. 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Land Use and History .............................................................................................................................. 7 Cultural History ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Sycamore Island .................................................................................................................................... 8 Van Buren Unit .................................................................................................................................... 10 Surrounding Properties and Planned Development ........................................................................ 11 Circulation & Facilities .......................................................................................................................... 14 Existing Offsite Access ....................................................................................................................... 14 Potential Access Points ....................................................................................................................... 14 Onsite Roads ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Boating Facilities ................................................................................................................................. 19 Onsite Facilities ................................................................................................................................... 20 Regulation ............................................................................................................................................... 21 Agencies with Jurisdiction .................................................................................................................. 21 San Joaquin River Restoration Program ........................................................................................ 22 River Restoration: Important Planning Issues of Concern in the Project Area .......................... 24 Special Considerations ......................................................................................................................... 26 Security ................................................................................................................................................. 26 Physical .................................................................................................................................................... 28 Geology/Soils ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Flooding ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Expected High Flow ........................................................................................................................... 29 Natural Resources ............................................................................................................................... 32 Landforms and Visual Quality ......................................................................................................... 32 Biology .................................................................................................................................................... 45 Background .......................................................................................................................................... 45 Habitat Types ...................................................................................................................................... 45 Sensitive Natural Communities ......................................................................................................... 53 Evaluation of Major Natural Communities ..................................................................................... 55 Listed Species ...................................................................................................................................... 57 Special-Status Plant Species ............................................................................................................ 62 Special-Status Wildlife Species....................................................................................................... 63 2 | Page River West-Madera Master Plan Overall Habitat Value....................................................................................................................... 64 OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS ............................................................................... 66 Agency and Nonprofit Comment ..................................................................................................... 66 Public Comment ................................................................................................................................... 67 Opportunity and Constraint Tables ................................................................................................ 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 73 FIGURES Figure 1: San Joaquin River Parkway and River West-Madera ..................................................................... 6 Figure 2: Historic Lanes Bridge. .............................................................................................................................. 7 Figure 3: Recreational boating in the vicinity of the project area. ................................................................ 8 Figure 4: Aerial photo of Sycamore Island, January 1950. ........................................................................... 9 Figure 5: Proposed development adjacent to River West-Madera in Madera County ........................... 13 Figure 6: The access road from Rio Mesa Blvd. and Ave. 9 ends at a locked gate. ............................... 14 Figure 7: River crossing proposal, San Joaquin River Parkway Conservation and Trust. ........................ 15 Figure 8: River West-Madera offers potential connections to trails within planned development in Madera County. Diagram courtesy the San Joaquin River Parkway Conservation and Trust .................... 16 Figure 9: Existing and Potential Access.............................................................................................................. 17 Figure 10: Break in the levee disconnecting Sycamore Island from the Van Buren Unit. ........................ 18 Figure 12: Poorly maintained gravel/dirt ramp into pond ........................................................................... 19 Figure 11: Well-maintaied gravel and cement ramp into river channel .................................................... 19 Figure 13: Typical concrete picnic table at Sycamore Island. ..................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 14: Conceptual diagram of restored river channel ............................................................................ 23 Figure 15: River channel with riffles on the southwestern edge of Sycamore Island ............................... 25 Figure 16: Signage prohibiting illegal activity, river near Palm and Nees Ave., City of Fresno .......... 26 Figure 17: Flood waters over Sycamore Island in 1997 ............................................................................... 29 Figure 18: FEMA flood zone map of project site ............................................................................................ 30 Figure 19: Soil Map .............................................................................................................................................. 31 Figure 20: View from Avenue 7 ½ access southeast over Sycamore Island and City of Fresno ........... 34 Figure 21: View from Avenue 7 ½ access south over Sycamore Island and City of Fresno .................. 35 Figure 22: View from southeast corner of Gunner Ranch east over Van Buren Unit ................................ 36 Figure 23: View from southeast corner of Gunner Ranch South toward the center of the project area ...................................................................................................................................................................................